Oh-so-chic napkin tutorial – just in time for Earth Day!

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Happy Earth Day!

I hope the weather is as beautiful where you are as it is set to be here so you can get out and enjoy some wonderful sunshine!

Over the course of the last couple of months, we as a family have been striving to make little changes here and there to be more responsible stewards of the gift of natural beauty around us. We are being better about turning off lights when we leave rooms. We are buying locally produced food when possible. And so on and so forth. Little things can add up to make a bit of difference!

We used to use nothing but paper napkins. I suppose I always thought cloth was only for “fancy” occasions, so all of my cloth napkins were relegated to a drawer in my hutch, only making an appearance a couple of times a year, at the very most. I scoffed at first when Matt mentioned pulling them out to use on a nightly basis, but then it dawned on me that it was honestly silly not to. With a family of five, it is so simple to throw the napkins in with one of the other (many!) loads of laundry I have to do on a regular basis. Jack has so much fun choosing the napkins we use each night as he sets the table, and I have been so pleased with what a festive feel that one little change has imparted to our nightly meals as a family. It really makes it feel special! And, we are lessening night by night the amount of waste we add to our local landfill, which is terrific, too!

I am sure many of you have scrap piles of fabric that are slowly taking over your crafting space just like I do (my two ginormous plastic bins I use to store my scraps are currently overflowing), so I made it a goal this week to sort through my scraps to find some coordinating fabrics to make some new napkins. Projects like these are such a great way to purge your stash in a fun and functional way, and I absolutely love any endeavor that can be completed, from start to finish, in just a couple of hours. These work up so quickly, and because they utilize only basic sewing techniques, they would be a great project for sewing novices and experts alike. This would be a great way to get children behind the sewing machine!

The napkins I created I call “Santa Fe Chic” because the vibrant color scheme reminds me of the sunsets in my home state of New Mexico. They are comprised of just a few basic pieces, and sewn together as described, they are essentially a quilt square completed without any batting between the layers.

Your napkins are so cute! My mom used to make napkins out of her leftover bits of fabric– hers weren’t as fancy as yours, she just made a tiny zig-zagged hem on hers. I’m here from NFF. Do you mind if I follow along?

Love these napkins! I’ve been wanting to make my own for quite some time, and haven’t been able to find the time just yet! Very soon, I hope to MAKE the time, and I think yours will be lots of fun to try! Thanks for sharing the tutorial! ~tina

Just stopping in and looking around from Follow Friday! And just became your newest follower! Yea! Hope you stop by and return the favor!

My blog http://www.remodelaholic.com is all about interior design and remodeling there are some great tutorials so you can get the look you want on a budget! We also have a party every Friday to show off your stuff!!

OMG! I love this idea! I can’t wait to get started! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I’m glad you found me so I could find you! Hah… Love your blog! I’m following and can’t wait to read more…Thanks for sharing and the great tutorial!Jenn

I just found your website and love it! I am pinning several of your sewing tutorials! Thank you! However, I would love to make these Oh-so-chic napkins, but the PDF will not open. Any suggestions? Thanks!
~Sonya

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